What license does the Linux kernel use?
GNU General Public License version 2 only
The Linux Kernel is provided under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only (GPL-2.0), as published by the Free Software Foundation, and provided in the COPYING file.
What is the license for Linux?
Q: How Is Linux Licensed? A: Linus has placed the Linux kernel under the GNU General Public License, which basically means that you may freely copy, change, and distribute it, but you may not impose any restrictions on further distribution, and you must make the source code available.
What is the kernel headers package?
Kernel Headers contain the C header files for the Linux kernel, which offers the various function and structure definitions required when compiling any code that interfaces with the kernel, such as kernel modules or device drivers and some user programs.
Do I need kernel headers?
The kernel headers are only needed when you’re using a stock kernel and you want to compile a new driver module or such that links directly with the kernel. This is because the distro maintainers deliberately separate the kernel and its headers into separate packages.
Is kernel a file?
The kernel is a computer program at the core of a computer’s operating system and has complete control over everything in the system. It is the “portion of the operating system code that is always resident in memory”, and facilitates interactions between hardware and software components.
Is the UAPI header documented in the Linux kernel?
Because the UAPI headers must be includable into any source files which create an executable running on the Linux kernel, the exception must be documented by a special license expression. The common way of expressing the license of a source file is to add the matching boilerplate text into the top comment of the file.
What are the licensing rules for the Linux kernel?
1 Valid-License-Identifier: One or more lines which declare which License Identifiers are valid inside the project to reference this particular license text. 2 SPDX-URL: The URL of the SPDX page which contains additional information related to the license. 3 Usage-Guidance: Freeform text for usage advice.
Which is a special case in the Linux kernel?
The User-space API (UAPI) header files, which describe the interface of user-space programs to the kernel are a special case. According to the note in the kernel COPYING file, the syscall interface is a clear boundary, which does not extend the GPL requirements to any software which uses it to communicate with the kernel.
When to use a license identifier in Linux?
License identifiers for licenses like [L]GPL with the ‘or later’ option are constructed by using a “+” for indicating the ‘or later’ option.: WITH should be used when there is a modifier to a license needed. For example, the linux kernel UAPI files use the expression: